Trattoria One Fifth has become a downtown “foodies’ favorite” in a brief time. Situated in the lobby of a stunning 1920s Art Deco apartment building (that once housed Anthony Bourdain’s famous Clementine), the romantic lighting, retro look, and spaciousness will immediately make you feel at home and like a sophisticated New Yorker at the same time.
Owner/Executive Chef Marc Forgione appreciates this elegant space as much as his guests. He reveals via an exclusive interview with New York Lifestyles, “One Fifth Avenue has been home to restaurants for nearly one hundred years, and we wanted to honor the history of the building by combining classic Art Deco design elements with rustic Italian heritage antiques. We restored the original terrazzo floors from the 1970s and the historic revolving door, and we use a 200-year-old butcher block as our host stand. A lot of our art honors the building’s famous residents, past events, neighborhood, and artifacts uncovered by the building’s owners.”
AN ICONIC SPACE
Forgione also believes that iconic restaurant spaces with rich histories remain restaurants and not become banks or other businesses. “I love the location on the corner of 5th Avenue and 8th Street because of its history and proximity to my favorite farmer’s market. With Trattoria One Fifth, we’re celebrating the history of one of the former restaurants from the 1970s. Our Italian menu is inspired by the seasons and local ingredients.”
The menu may feature many Southern Italian classics, but they are prepared a little differently than the standard recipes thanks to Forgione’s constant quest to improve upon what are considered long-loved classics from grandma’s kitchen. He makes a point of buying seasonal ingredients from local purveyors to ensure ultra-freshness, which goes is a key component of a resto created by a Michelin-starred chef.
NEW SEASON, NEW INGREDIENTS
What are the chef’s favorites at Trattoria One Fifth? The friendly Forgione responds, “I love when new ingredients come back in season so we can switch things up, especially with our pasta and pizza. All our pasta is made fresh in-house, including a gluten-free option. I especially love stuffed pasta like Cappelletti with Prosciutto and Peas or Duck Agnolotti. Our gelato is also incredibly popular, and flavors change with the season; I am currently loving strawberries! One of my favorite fall dishes is the Squacio e Pepe, inspired by Cacio e Pepe (but made with honey nut squash and Pecorino). Another one is the Brussels Sprouts Pizza with Goat Cheese and Speck.”
You will find the food as appealing as the décor and when you walk in, you will be greeted by super warm hosts behind the butcher block front desk. You probably already know that he was a winner on The Last Top Chef and has several ultra-popular eateries under his belt, including Tribeca’s Michelin-starred Restaurant Marc Forgione. The wildly praised Khe-Yo--which serves the very hard-to-get Laotian cuisine; it’s a two-minute walk away. He also has restaurants in Atlantic City, including the elegant and popular 12-year-old steakhouse American Cut at The Revel, which is a tribute to his legendary father, Larry Forgione.